Conveyer chain



PaintedA Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED "STATES PATENT oFFlcE y ALEXANDER BODLE, OFMISHAWAZKA, INDIANA, ASSIGNORj T0 DODGE MANUFAC- TUBING CORPORATION, FWILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A 'CORPORATION -OF DELA.-

WARE- oNvEYEa' CHAIN Application led Qctober 6, 1928. Serial` N'o.310,723.

This invention're'lates to conveyer chalns.r The object is to improvesuch chains more particularly with reference tothe pivot'con. ne'ctions.

The invention will be explained by reference to an illustrativeembodiment' thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and will bepointed out in the claims.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a planl view of a short length or section of a conveyer chainof one practicable construction, containing an embodiment of theinvention.

Fig. 2is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side view vof one of the outside link bars.

v Fig. 4 is adetail view on an enlarged scale of one vof the lockingpins for fastening the pivot pins. l A

Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the inside link bars. y

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the pivot bushings.

A suliic'ient length of the illustrative chain 25 is shown inthedrawings to disclose the connections betweenseveral. links. In theconstruction shown, the links comprise pairs of `parallel link bars,alternate pairs arranged outside of and' overlapping with the others.

The inside link bars are designated in the drawings by the numeral 10,and the overlapping outside link bars are designated by the numeralll.The link bars at one side of the `chain are shown provided withattachingbrackets 12 for attachment of cross bars (not shown) by which to connectthe chain. with another parallel chain. It will be understood that suchcross bars are commonly used to support loads conveyed by the chains.

The chain links are'connected by pivot pins 13 inserted through theoutside link bars and 'through bushings 14 fitted in the inside linkbars. Track rollers 15 are shown mounted on said bushings between theinside link bars.

The pivot pins 13 are shown as plain headed pins having transverseopenings through their fore ends, and are retained and fastened in placeby locking pins-16v inserted through said openings. These locking pinsmay con- 50 sist of simple pins of steel wire or the like,

having bent head endsl 17 and having their opposite `ends preferablyltapered as indicated at 18. The outside link bars at the side of the.chain adjacent to 'the locking pins, one of lwhich bars is morelclearly shown in Fig. 3, are provided with end notches 19 and withkeeper openings 20 for engagement with the" ends 18 of the locking pins;said notches 19 and keeper openings 20 being at opposite sides of thepivot pin openings' 21. When the lockingfpins are inserted through thepivot pins,

the bent ends or heads 17 o the locking pins engage in the notches 19,and the' other ends of the locking pins are then bent into the keeperopenings 20, as shown in Fig. 1, thus internon-rotatable relation to theoutside links. The bushings 14, in which the pivot pins have a rotatablet, are themselves secured in nonrotatable relation to the inside linkbars. For instance, the ends of the bushings'may be exteriorly deformed,as indicated at 22 in Fig. 6, and fitted in similarly shaped bushlnected, so that the chain links can move relatively toleach other onlyin accordance with ings, or in other words the relative angularmovements of the links, as when Apassing varound sprocket wheels, mustbe in unison with the movements of the pins and bushings respectivelyconnected to the link ends. This l is important to avoid wear of thelink bars,

which are usually of comparatively soft metal as distinguished from thepivot pins and bushingswhich are ofhardened steel. The

locking of the pivot pins in non-rotatable con.-

neet-ion with the outside links through the locking pins, permits theemployment of plain headed pivot pins, while the connection therewith tothe outside links is exceedingly simple.

j locking the locking pins with the outside link bars and therebyholding the pivot pins in Vthe rotative movement of the pins in thebushyObviously the invention is not restricted V to the particularembodiment herein shown and described.

What claim as my invention, and desire to secure by-Letters Patent, is:v

l. A conveyor chain comprising pivotally connected link bars andembodying pivot pins, locking pins for said pivot pins, and bush# ingsin which the pivot pins are rotatably fitted, said bushings beingnon-rotatably -mounted in ends of link bars connected by the pivot pinsto ends of adjacent link bars, and said locking pins inserted throughsaid pivot pins and fastened in such manner as to hold the pivot pins innon-rotatable relation to the l last memtioned link bars, so that thelinks can move relative to one another only in unison with the pins andbushings.

2. A conveyer chain comprising pivotally connected link bars andembodying pivot pins, locking pins for said pivot pins, and bushings inwhich lthe pivot pins are rotatably fitted,

said bushings being non-rotatably mounted in ends of link bars connectedby the pivot pins to ends of adjacent link bars, and said locking pinsbeing interlocked with the last mentioned link bars to hold the pivotpins in nonrotatable relation thereto, for the purpose described.

3. A conveyer chain comprising pivotally connected link bars, includinglink bars havin end notches and keeper openings, and emv bo ying pivotpins, locking pinsfor said pivot pins, and bushings in which the pivotpins are rotatably fitted, said bushings and pivot pins .connected-respectively with ad'acent ends of adjacent link bars, and said loc 'ngpins consisting of pins having bent head ends engaging said notches andtheir' opposite ends bent into and engaging said keeper openings.

4. A conveyer chain com rising alternating airs of outside and insi elink bars said insi e bars having bush openings and bushingsnon-rotatably mounted therein, said outside bars having pivot pinopenings, headed pivot pins inserted through said outside bars andbushings, the outside bars-at the side of 4the chain opposite the headsof the pivot pins havingl end notches and keeper openings, and lookinins inserted through the unheaded ends o t e pivot pins, said lockingins consisting of pinsfhaving bent head en in said notches and havingtheir opposite en s bent into and engaging said keeper openings, wherebythe pivot pins are held in nonrotatable relation to the outside bars.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. A

ALEXANDER T. BODLE.

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